The following description is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the present invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. Any publications cited in this description are incorporated by reference herein. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Exercise is physical activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle. Scientific research shows that individuals who exercise regularly are healthier physically and mentally, have more energy, think more clearly, and sleep better. According to research, exercise also plays a significant role in improving an individual's overall mental health. Even exercising for only thirty minutes a day has proven to minimize the average individual's risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes. People have different exercise needs and abilities. It is important for exercise devices to be adjustable so that both novices and experts can receive a benefit from the device. While exercise is vital to maintaining good health, often people find it difficult to find time to go to the gym. People also need variety in their workout routines. Further, with an increasingly transient business environment, people struggle to adequately exercise while travelling. Thus, it is desirable to provide an exercise device that is portable, storable, stable, and adjustable to vary one's workout regimen.
Generally, current exercise devices are deficient in addressing these various needs of individuals. For example, exercise devices that are portable often do not have the stability or adjustability to provide workout variety. Exercise devices that do have adjustability to vary exercises largely lack efficient portability and storability. Because of these deficiencies in the prior art, there is a need for an exercise apparatus that is portable, storable, and adjustable.
Many attempts have been found in the prior art to overcome the deficiencies discussed above. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,061,172 describes an exercise apparatus that is collapsible, and thus portable, which uses elastic bands with adjustable tension. This device, however, is not stabilized and the height is not adjustable. Because this device is not adjustable, it needs to be modified in order to provide a variety of workouts.
Other exercise machines that target the abdomen and are portable, comprise unsteady exercise platforms. (see, e.g., US Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0318743). This reference provides a workout that may be too strenuous for novices and/or the elderly. Further, this device is too complex to assemble and to adjust to a particular workout.
Therefore, there exists a need for a portable, adjustable, relatively low-impact, and storable exercise device.